CH685584B5 - Universal watch analog display. - Google Patents

Description

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Description

The invention relates to a universal timepiece, that is to say capable of displaying the time under different time zones, and more particularly a wristwatch known as a universal watch. This timepiece includes at least one hour indicator intended to perform a lap in twelve hours and a minute indicator provided to conventionally perform a lap in one hour. This piece also includes a movement directly driving the minute indicator, and a rotating member indicating at least two time zones.

Watches are already known whose strap bears inscriptions indicating the time difference between different places on the planet. Thanks to these indications, the user of such a watch by actuating his crown, can bring the hands to the position corresponding to the time it is under any of the time zones. In addition, patent application EP 0 461 547 describes a time zone indicator usable with such a watch. This indicator consists of a set of interchangeable passers-by, each carrying a geographical indication corresponding to one of the twenty-four time zones, and intended to be worn selectively on the watch strap to indicate which time zone it is set to. . A particularly simple universal watch like this has flaws. Indeed, the time change, performed using the time-setting crown, is a relatively laborious operation. The user must not forget the initial time at which he started the manipulation, and moreover, in order not to lose the exact time, he must estimate how much the minute hand moved during this manipulation.

Numerous timepieces or universal watches are also known, comprising means allowing the position of the hour hand to be adjusted without the normal progression of the minute hand being disturbed. This adjustment of the hour hand is carried out either continuously or in jumps. The German patent DBP 1 673 621 in particular describes a watch the movement of which includes a planetary train connecting the minute hand and the hour hand. The positioning of the hour hand can be carried out by rotating a cage carrying the planetary wheel of this gear train, by means of a pusher and a snap. This type of universal watch also has faults. Indeed, the fact of changing the hours without moving the minute hand can give the user the impression of a retracted time interval. In addition, if one wishes to obtain a universal watch of this type from a conventional watch movement, the modifications which must be made to this movement are relatively numerous and delicate.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a timepiece or universal watch in which the position of the hands can, by a very simple operation, be brought into a position corresponding to the time it is under any which time zone, this timepiece can moreover be easily produced from a classic and ordinary timepiece movement.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a universal timepiece comprising at least one hour indicator provided for making a twelve-hour tour and indicating the time in one of the time zones, and a minute indicator provided for performing a revolution in one hour, and comprising a movement directly driving the minute indicator, and a rotating member indicating at least two time zones and manually rotatable, said timepiece being characterized in that said movement is rotatably mounted in a box around a geometric axis coincident with the axis of the minute indicator, and in that it comprises, engaged between said movement and the time zone indicator member, a first train of gear which corresponds to any angular displacement of the time zone indicator member, an angular displacement of the movement, inside said box which is twenty-four fo is larger, and in that it comprises, in engagement between the minute indicator and the hour indicator, a second gear train which makes correspond to any angular displacement of the minute indicator an angular displacement of the hour hand twelve times smaller than the hour indicator.

Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the indicators of the timepiece according to the invention can be constituted by any type of time indicator member, such as for example needles or a disc provided with an index.

The first gear train of the timepiece according to the invention therefore corresponds to a complete revolution carried out by the time zone indicator member, twenty-four revolutions of the movement inside the case and therefore twenty- four revolutions of the minute hand on the dial. The second gear train of the timepiece according to the invention has a gear ratio of twelve, which corresponds to the ratio of a conventional gear train. Each revolution of the dial made by the minute hand will therefore correspond to one twelfth of the revolution of the dial made by the hour hand. The evolution of the relative position of the hands on the dial of the timepiece according to the invention is therefore entirely conventional. However, the movement being able to rotate inside this universal timepiece, the movement of the minute hand, and consequently that of the hour hand also, may be due, either to the normal operation of the movement d 'watchmaking, or the controlled rotation thereof when changing time zone. We see how, therefore, the kinematic chain formed by the first and second gear train according to the invention, constitutes a time-setting mechanism. In addition, the means according to the invention which can be actuated manually to turn the indicator member make it possible to actuate the time-setting mechanism which has just been described to very easily bring

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hands in the position corresponding to the time it is under any time zone. Simultaneously the indicating unit will indicate the time zone chosen.

To make the timepiece according to the invention, an electronic timepiece movement powered by a battery will preferably be chosen. However, the invention is obviously not limited to this type of watch movement.

The movement being according to the invention, rotatably mounted in the timepiece, it cannot however be reassembled in a conventional manner using a rod passing through the middle. However, there are many other types of mechanical movements which are suitable for carrying out the present invention. A winding movement using a key can for example be used, in this case the winding key is introduced into the movement, by an opening of the box provided for this purpose. On the other hand, a mechanical movement with automatic winding is obviously also very suitable for carrying out the present invention.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- fig. 1 is a top view of a watch in accordance with the present invention, the current time zone indicator member of which is constituted by a rotating bezel which carries geographical indications corresponding to the time zones.

- fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the axis 3H-9H of the watch in FIG. 1, and in which the two minute and hour hands respectively have been brought back into the plane for a better understanding of the drawings.

- fig. 3 is a top view of another embodiment of the present invention, in which the glass bears geographical indications corresponding to the time zones.

As seen in fig. 1, the watch according to the invention identified by the general reference 1 comprises a box 2, housing a dial 4 in front of which rotates an hour hand 6 and a minute hand 7 around a geometric axis of rotation X. The dial 4 bears time indications of a conventional type and is protected by a glass 8 which is held in place by a fixing bezel 10. Watch 1 further comprises a time zone indicator member which is constituted by a rotating bezel 12 called universal time bezel whose circumference comprises twenty-four graduations referenced 13 (only two being referenced) and geographical indications 14 (only two being also referenced) corresponding to the various time zones. The position of the rotating bezel 12 can be identified using an index 5 located fixedly near the periphery of the dial, for example on the latter. In fig. 1 and 3 the geographical indications are arranged respectively on the bezel 12 and on the glass 8, in an order which corresponds to that of the time zones. In the embodiment shown in ffg. 1, when we travel around the periphery of the telescope 12 clockwise, we move around the earth from West to East. It would naturally be possible to make a watch on which the geographical indications are arranged in reverse order.

The case 2 of watch 1 is round and is provided with four horns to which the ends of a bracelet not referenced are conventionally fixed. We still see in fig. 1, a time-setting crown 16 which is fixed to the end of an axis 25 (fig. 2) mounted radially in the rotating bezel 12.

The sectional view shown in FIG. 2 allows a better understanding of the operating mode of the elements shown in FIG. 1. The box 2 comprises a caseband 17 the interior of which is divided into two concentric compartments 17a and 17b respectively by a cylindrical wall 15. The interior compartment 17a houses a movement of the watch 1, as well as the trains while the outer compartment 17b partially houses the rotating bezel 12. The cylindrical wall 15 has on the inner side near its upper edge which is stepped, a double annular shoulder 18 which supports a plate 20 forming a dial support and the dial 4 itself. The rotating bezel 12 rests axially on the upper edge of the caseband 17 in which it is engaged in rotation, since it further comprises a lower extension or cylindrical bearing 13 which is housed in the outer compartment 17b. The rotating bezel 12 is therefore kept centered by the outermost wall of the caseband 17 in which it is adjusted with greasy friction so that it is possible to rotate it. An annular part or sleeve 22 is in turn mounted concentrically with greasy friction inside the cylindrical lower surface 13 of the bezel 12. This annular part or sleeve 22 carries on its upper extreme edge an end toothing which meshes with a pinion 24 fixed to the inner end of the axis 25 of the time-setting crown 16. This arrangement makes it possible to drive the annular part 22 in rotation inside the compartment 17b, by means of the crown 16 that can be rotated manually.

We see in fig. 2 that the two concentric compartments 17a and 17b formed inside the caseband 17 communicate via a radial opening 29 made in the bottom of the cylindrical wall 15. In addition, we can still see in FIG. 2 that the annular part or socket 22 has near its lower edge an internal toothing 26 which can mesh, thanks to the opening 29, with a first intermediate toothed wheel 28 which is mounted idly on an axis 30 fixed in the bottom of the compartment inside 17a in the bottom of the box 2, near the opening 29. This first intermediate wheel 28 also meshes with a second externally toothed intermediate wheel 31 which is mounted idly on an axle 32. The second intermediate wheel 31 in turn engages with a pinion 34 secured to a wheel 35 with which it can

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rotate around an axis 33 which is also fixed by driving into the bottom of the box 2. Finally, the gear wheel 35 meshes with a pinion 36 mounted fixedly secured to the frame of the movement 38.

The watch movement 38 is an electronic movement, preferably an electronic movement of the current type, for example the caliber "Har-ley® 3872" from the Swiss manufacturer Ronda AG. The movement 38 being of the current type, its construction will not be described. here. The pinion 36 is fixed under the movement in the extension of the axis of rotation of the needles 6 and 7. This pinion 36 can be fixed by any means known to those skilled in the art, for example in accordance with what is shown in fig. 2, the pinion 36 may include a thin collar 36a which is held pressed against the center of the underside of the movement 38 by a cap 70 which covers the underside of the movement 38 and part of the lateral faces thereof. This cap is pierced in its center with a hole 72 whose diameter is substantially equal to that of the pinion 36 and in which the latter is engaged. The hole 72 thus ensures the centering of the pinion 36 relative to the movement 38. Said cap 70 also has an opening 73 which gives access to the battery of the movement 38. The underside of the pinion 36 has a recess, acting as a bearing and receiving the end of a pivot or axis 37 (not referenced) fixed to the center of the bottom of the box 2. This pivot or axis 37 allows the pinion 36 and therefore the movement 38 to rotate around the geometric axis of rotation X inside the box 2. In addition, the pinion 36 being fixed concentrically with the axis x of rotation of the needles, its rotation and that of the needles 6, 7 are coaxial.

In the arrangement which has just been described, the internal toothing 26 of the annular part 22, the toothed wheel 28, the toothed wheel 31, the pinion 34, the wheel 35 and the pinion 36 together form a first gear train. T1 which transmits the movements (angular displacements) of the rotating bezel 12 and the crown 16 to the movement 38 of the watch 1. The transmission ratio of this gear train T1 is such that one revolution carried out by the rotating bezel 12 corresponds to twenty-four revolutions of movement 38 inside the watch. In other words, the movement 38 performs a complete revolution around the X axis (360 ") when the position of the rotating bezel of a time zone is shifted, that is 1 / 24th of a revolution (angular displacement of 15 °).

According to the invention, the minute hand 7 is driven directly by the inner workings of the movement 38, while the hour hand 6 is driven indirectly by this movement. The mechanism for driving the hour hand which initially existed in movement 38 must therefore be rendered inoperative. In view of the description which follows, a person skilled in the art will be able to modify the movement in one way or another to get this result

We will now describe a gear train according to the invention, which cinematically connects the minute hand 7 and the hour hand 6.

In the original movement used with this embodiment of the invention, the minute hand 7 is fixed in a conventional manner to the roadway 40 which also carries the minute wheel 41. Conventionally still, a chevlllot 42 is mounted with greasy friction, by one of its ends, in an axial hole in the center pinion (not shown), and the carriageway 40 is rigidly fixed in particular by driving it over the other end of the pin 42. In this arrangement, the the minute hand 7 is actuated via the pin 42 and the carriageway 40. Conventionally, the movement of the minute hand 7 is then transmitted to the hour hand 6 via the wheel 41 minutes and the clockwork 49. As we have already said, according to the invention the drive torque is transmitted from the minute hand 7 to the hour hand 6 by a gear train T2 with the elements 41, 46, 47 and 48 (fig. 2), and which is arranged outside the movement, the original timer train included in the movement being rendered inoperative.

So that the minute wheel 41 can mesh, in the gear train T2 according to the invention, located outside the movement, the roadway 40 must be raised. To do this, the original pavement and its chevlllot are removed from the center pinion and they are replaced by pavement 40 provided with the peg 42 longer than the original.

The barrel 44 of the hour hand 6 is conventionally mounted on the carriageway 40. The barrel 44 and the carriageway 40 are engaged together in a through hole made in the center of the plate 20 and of the dial 4, and their upper end conventionally receives the hands 6 and 7. The hour wheel 46 which is rotatably engaged in the plate 20 meshes with a pinion 47 secured to a wheel 48 with which it can rotate around an axis 45 fixed in the plate 20 forming a dial support. The wheel 48 in turn meshes with the minute wheel 41.

In the arrangement which has just been described, the hour wheel 46, the pinion 47, the wheel 48 and the minute wheel 41 together form a gear train T2 which causes each revolution of the minute hand 7 , a rotation of the 6 hour hand by a twelfth of a turn. The ratio of this gear train is therefore that of a conventional timer train but, unlike the original train, the gear train T2 according to the invention does not rest on the frame of the movement 38, but on ( and more particularly under) the support 20 of the dial 4, which does not rotate.

The kinematic chain which has been described above, and which begins with the rotating bezel 12 and the annular part or socket 22 and which ends with the hour hand 6 passing through the minute hand 7, makes it possible to bring hands 6 and 7 at the current time in any time zone, by simply operating the rotating bezel 12 manually. It is also possible to set the hands on the time without moving the bezel, thanks to a classic action on the time setting crown 16.

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Fig. 2 also shows a pin 50 which is resiliently mounted in an orifice 52 of the caseband 17 by means of a spring 53. This pin 50 can immobilize the rotating bezel 12 by cooperating with one of the notches 54 (two being shown in Fig. 2) which are shaped in the lower part of the rotating bezel 12. The notches 54 or hollows are twenty-four in number and they are arranged 15 * from each other, and distributed uniformly around of the bezel 12. There is therefore a notch 54 for each time zone 13, 14 and the notches 54 are preferably placed so that each of them allows the bezel 12 to be immobilized in a position where one of the graduations 13 is located exactly opposite the index 5 located on the dial 4. When the bezel 12 is turned anti-clockwise, the geographical indications 14 and the graduations 13 pass successively one after the other in front of the index 5. The universal time bezel 12 ind ic therefore time zones always further east and simultaneously the cogs of watch 1 advance the time indicated by the hands.

In the particular embodiment described here, the movement is an electronic movement powered by a battery 56 shown here schematically. To allow the user of the watch to change the battery without calling on a watchmaker, an opening 58 giving access to the lower part of the movement 38 has been provided in the bottom of the case in order to be able to access the battery 56. In normal time, the opening 58 is closed by a cap 60 which completely covers the bottom of the box. This cap 60 is adjusted to greasy friction on the bottom of the middle part 61 and is provided so that it can be removed or put in place manually. When the cap 60 is in place, it protects the movement 30 and the gear trains T1 and T2 of the watch 1 against any foreign bodies which could be introduced into the box through the opening 58. In addition, the cap 60 covers and hides the end of the axes of the pivots 30, 32, 33 and 37 which are, as we have seen above, fixed by driving into the bottom of the box.

The watch glass 8 is held rigidly above the dial by the greasy friction adjustment of the fixing bezel 10 on the cylindrical wall 15. A lateral shoulder formed on the fixing bezel 10 extends partially above of the upper face of the rotating bezel 12 and holds it in place.

Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention in which the periphery of the glass 8 carries twenty-four graduations 64 equidistant from each other, and geographical indications 66 corresponding to the different time zones. In this embodiment, the rotating bezel 12 carries for any indication two indices 68, 69 located 15 * from one another.

Here, as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, we have chosen to arrange the geographical indications so that we progress towards the east when we traverse the periphery of the glass clockwise. The geographical indications 66 being in the present embodiment, engraved on the glass which is fixed, it is when the bezel 12 is turned clockwise, that the Indexes 68, 69 pass in front of the graduations 64 corresponding to time zones always further east and therefore to hours of greater order.

The direction of rotation of the telescope 12 is here, as we have just seen, reversed with respect to that of the embodiment of FIG. 1. Consequently, in the present embodiment, the first gear train T1 is slightly different from that shown in FIG. 2.

Indeed, to reverse the direction of rotation transmitted to the movement 38, the two intermediate toothed wheels 28, 31 are replaced by a single toothed wheel of larger diameter. The internal operation of this embodiment is for the rest identical to that which is shown in FIG. 2, and will therefore not be described in more detail.

In the present embodiment, the telescope is provided with two indices 68, 69 instead of only one, so that it is possible to take into account seasonal variations in time (summer time / daylight saving time). 'winter). Index 69 on the left in fig. 3, corresponds to summer time. When, for example, the watch is set to Paris summer time as is the case in fig. 3, we go to Paris winter time by simply turning the bezel 12 to bring the right index 68 corresponding to winter time, in front of the indication "Paris".

Claims (1)

Claims 1. Universal timepiece comprising at least one hour indicator (6) intended to perform a revolution in twelve hours, and a minute indicator (7) intended to perform a revolution in one hour, and comprising a movement (38) directly driving the minute indicator (7), and a rotating member (12) indicating at least two time zones and manually rotatable, said timepiece being characterized in that the movement (38) is rotatably mounted in a box around a geometric axis coincident with the axis of the minute indicator, in that said timepiece comprises, in engagement between said movement and the time zone indicator member (12), a first train of gears (T1) which corresponds to any rotation of any angle of the time zone indicator member (12), a rotation of angle twenty-four times greater in the movement (38) within said box (2), and in that it includes, in engagement between the minute indicator (7) and the hour indicator (6), a second gear train (T2) which corresponds, to any rotation of any angle of the minute indicator (7) , a twelve times smaller angle rotation of the hour indicator (6). 2. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises locking means (50, 52, 53, 54) of the angular position of the time zone indicator member (12). 3. Timepiece according to claim 1 or 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 9 CH 685 584G A3 2, characterized in that the time zone indicator member is constituted by a rotating bezel (12). 4. Timepiece according to claim 3, characterized in that said rotating bezel (12) comprises on one of its visible parts geographical indications (14) corresponding to at least two time zones. 5. Timepiece according to claim 3, characterized in that the glass (8) comprises, near its periphery, geographical indications (66) corresponding to the time zones, and in that said rotating bezel (12) comprises two index (68, 69) which can be brought in relation to the different geographical indications (66), and being arranged at 15 ° from one another to correspond respectively to summer time and to the time winter. 6. Timepiece according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that said locking means consist of a pin (50) elastically mounted in the middle part (17) and capable of cooperating with twenty-four notches ( 54) made in said rotating bezel (12). 7. Timepiece according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that it comprises an annular part (22) mounted coaxially with said rotating bezel (12) and driven directly by it, and in that said annular part (22) comprises at least one toothing (26) which meshes in said first gear train (T1). 8. Timepiece according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises drive means (16) operable manually to rotate said annular piece (22) and drive said first gear train (T1) independently of the rotation of said rotating bezel (12). 9. Timepiece according to claim 8, characterized in that said drive means (16), are constituted by a pin (25) mounted radially in said bezel (12) and bearing, at one of its ends, a toothed wheel (24) which can cooperate with a toothing of said annular part, and carrying at the other of its ends a crown (16). 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 56 60 65 7